Nick's Book is Done and he's actually holding it during this episode. This calls for a celebration! But the celebration quickly moves into what is next for the book and where all of this can go in 2019 and beyond. Kent is still worried that Able Cells isn't a business and wants $50,000 or so to make it one. We set some basic 2019 goals and deci ...…

In this episode Kent talks about how LinkedIn is really good if you are looking for a job. Kent talks about being open to a bunch of different opportunities and an exercise for finding the right job for you. Meanwhile, Nick has a great idea for an app, and is suffering from imposter syndrome again when it comes to be being an authority in educa ...…

In this episode Kent and Nick talk about Kent's career change, building your public persona as a resume or a portfolio, marrying companies vs. dating them, the difference between being a wolf and a dog and so much more.By Pencil Problems Podcast.

Nick and Kent talk about the new rap these days, The Coddling Of The American Mind and how we might be messing up a generation of kids, Nick talks about essays and how his book is nearly done. Kent talks Able Cells and SEO.By Pencil Problems Podcast.

Nick and Kent take a different approach on the gig economy and talk about how software, not just hardware is making it possible to crowdsource information in new and interesting ways. Nick argues that it's all about incentives, and Kent and his Dad re-invent power on drive home from the cottage.By Pencil Problems Podcast.

Today Nick picks Kent's brain about his time at Tilt and life at a VC backed startup in the Valley. Tilt allowed users to pool funds for objectives in a simple, social, and frictionless way online. At it's zenith it was valued at almost a billion dollars and has since been acquired by Airbnb.By Pencil Problems Podcast.

If you make stuff I'm sure you've been approached about an idea for app or website or video or movie. We talk through our thought process and considerations when taking on other people's projects.By Pencil Problems Podcast.

Nick gets his writing edited by Michelle Brown! They discuss how this could translate into a book. She goes over bigger on-going themes, framing devices, structure, language. It's a fun listen for anyone who has been following along with my blog or for anyone who writes! Blog: http://medium.com/fatherhood Michelle's book, Safe Words: https://ww ...…

Kent and Nick talk about paying for software vs. ad based payment models. They discuss how much they would pay for services like Google, and Facebook and speculate on what the future of these payment models look like.By Pencil Problems Podcast.

Nick is back from Apple's worldwide developer conference (WWDC) and answers Kent's questions about it. Before that Nick and Kent talk about their progress towards the goals, they set a few weeks ago for their side projects. Nick is doing well, Kent isn't.By Pencil Problems Podcast.

We hit a dip in our projects! Kent's e-commerce store, Nick's book project, even the podcast. It's starting to feel like work and not like fun. We talk through it all and we hope you can relate!By Pencil Problems Podcast.

Kent recently appeared as a guest on This Commerce Life, a podcast about all things retail, and gets to ask Phil and Kenny, two industry veterans a ton of questions about Able Cells. They cover inventory, managing suppliers, cash flow, margins, debt and financing and more. Listen to This Commerce Life here.…

Nick and Kent discuss the Google Assistant demo where an AI places a call and books a reservation. Is this software sentient? No. And how does this shape ambition when building side projects? Are certain industries dead? Plus some WWDC predictions.By Pencil Problems Podcast.

Description: Experimenting with a new episode type, Nick chats with Sameer - owner of Fahrenheit coffee. Incredible coffee, amazing dude. This episode is about passion, about craft, and about relationships. It'll also really make you want to drink coffee! Enjoy! Links: [http://www.fahrenheitcoffee.com/] [https://www.yelp.ca/biz/fahrenheit-coffe ...…

Nick and Kent give their perspective on the age old debate between product and marketing. Where does product end and marketing begin, what should product people know about marketing? What should good marketers know about the product? How can you apply all of this to your side projects? This is our most edited episode, please forgive the audio a ...…

We open with some project updates (ablecells.com, medium.com/fatherhood) followed by some Q&A from fans (I can't believe people still listen to this!). 00:00 Project Updates 17:00 Productivity Tools 30:00 Does Kent own 300 domain names? 33:00 Does outsourcing work for tech companies? 49:00 Fan love swoon 52:00 When to move on poor hires…

Nick asks Kent if he plans to delete Facebook, this leads to a discussion about Facebook's recent drama, how ethics and morals play into business, and how you can build good ethics into your side project or company. Q&A episode coming soon, send in your feedback, questions, comments, opinions, topic ideas, errata to hello@pencilproblems.com.…

Kent and Nick talk about Hero Worship and Self-Doubt. They ruminate about when/if they'd go all in on something and the secret to winning at side projects. Bonus Parent Corner content at the very end. Enjoy!By Pencil Problems Podcast.

Nick and Kent talk about the pros and cons of starting side projects with a team or going solo. They also answer a hypothetical question about what would they tell their 25-year-old selves.By Pencil Problems Podcast.

In this episode, Kent and Nick give a quick product update on the book and Able Cells. Kent is worried that he went 2 days without an order and wants to rebuild Shopify. Nick is working on storyboards for his likely Kickstarter video. Kent records a slightly awkward outro. Remember to send any questions and feedback to hello@pencilproblems.com…

In this episode, Nick and Kent talk about how it went pitching the podcast to a few potential sponsors. Like a good math problem, they work out a solution for what sponsorship could look like going forward. Remember to send any feedback or questions to hello@pencilproblems.com or @pencilpod on the Twitter.…

In this episode, Nick and I talk about the vision of Pencil Problems going forward and how we would try and pitch it to potential sponsors. We also kick-off Parent Corner around 1:03. EnjoyBy Pencil Problems Podcast.

Kent and Nick talk about whether Jack should kick Donald off Twitter, then roll right into an extended project update with a snazzy new transition sound effect. Kent rails about Able Cells, while Nick tries to figure out a broader context for his book project. In the end, they sell it all and buy XLM, Spoilers!! Just kidding. Enjoy. Remember to ...…

Kent and Nick talk about their side projects, answer listener questions about email marketing, and health and fitness, the difference between tools and products, Nick tells us about CES and Kent and Nick make a bitcoin bet about self driving cars in 2030.By Pencil Problems Podcast.

Kent and Nick get their first listener feedback, they talk about their time at The DGP, why grad school is like intellectual summer camp, advice for people thinking about grad school, academic politics, doing research, intellectual freedom and end with a healthy dose of Donald Trump. Sponsored By: Sago Mini World: The award-winning game that co ...…

Nick and Kent talk about the future of pencil problems, their goals for the podcast in 2018, whether or not Nick should dabble in the black hat world of e-commerce, personal goals, las vegas buffets, zig ziglar, kent's crypto corner and so much more. This episode is a MUST download.By Pencil Problems Podcast.

Nick and Kent talk about their worst episode yet, then move right into the war of the living room, Google Home, vs. Echo vs. Homepod vs. Sonos, they talk about the internet of things, the role of voice, and stay tuned for a bitcoin price prediction.By Pencil Problems Podcast.

Nick and Kent talk about Disney World, Pandora, Pixar, Jay-Z, ambition, Jay-Z level ambition, good being the enemy of great, the secret, reality distortion fields, the fact that we made it to 10 episodes and then back to Jay-Z.By Pencil Problems Podcast.

Kent and Nick talk about pivoting a company or business, Microsoft and their failure to pivot, Google and their dozens of pivots, Apple's big pivot, Facebook's huge pivot gamble, VR, AR, becoming a God in Second Life, and when you know it's time to leave Sponsored By: Hubba: Hubba makes wholesale ordering easy. The largest network of verified w ...…

Kent and Nick talk about ambition curves, what they would do if they got paid to do the podcast, what they really want to do with their lives, and talked more about potential productive pencil problems.By Pencil Problems Podcast.

Nick and Kent talk about bluetooth headsets, breadth vs. depth, the problem with drop shippers, how grad school is basically paid summer camp, and how Nick is looking for an agent.By Pencil Problems Podcast.

Nick and Kent talk about the difference between main street and big retail and how that applies to apps. Kent rails on the kids these days, and Nick shares an awkward story involving vulgar lyrics and his mother.By Pencil Problems Podcast.

In the first episode of Pencil Problems, Nick and Kent talk about why this podcast nearly didn't happen, what projects they are currently working on, what ketones are, how they pick projects and decide which ones to stick with, how parenting is boring/exhausting sometimes and how to write long run on sentences with lots of commas :) Enjoy! Kent ...…

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